Zaeema, a mother of three, is one of the twelve participants from Laamu Atoll Fonadhoo taking part in a three-day tour to the central atolls of Alif Alif and Alif Dhaalu as part of the knowledge exchange programmes carried under the joint-UN Low Emission Carbon Resilient Development (LECReD) Programme.

The Atoll Ecosystem Conservation (AEC) project was initiated to try to conserve the environment in and around the Baa Atoll. The ultimate aim was that the project would become a model of conservation for all atolls in the Maldives.

UNDP team and volunteers had put up permanent labels for some 42 plants which identified their English, Dhivehi and the scientific names. Abdulla Adam, an expert on plants and an avid plant lover, who also is the Small Grants Officer of the UNDP’s Tourism Adaptation Project (TAP), led the charge in the walks.

“I was very young when I signed up as a volunteer for a local NGO called Tiny Hearts of Maldives. People used to say that you are doing so much work for nothing. I used to reply back saying, doing what you like doing is sometimes better than good pay,” Dan reckoned.

The training for local council hopefuls focused on how local councils should operate. It detailed the important aspects of the Decentralization Act, including the functions and responsibilities of a Local Council and how the council should communicate and interact with the community.

Featured Publications

The report provides insight into the opportunities for improving the public confidence in CSOs and the key concerns that should be addressed when decentralizing the regulation and monitoring of CSOs.

Valuing Biodiversity - the economic case for biodiversity conservation in the Maldives

The “Atoll Ecosystem Conservation” (AEC) project co-financed by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented through UNDP by Ministry of Housing, Transport and Environment is putting forward this report that demonstrates and quantify the value of Biodiversity and Atoll ecosystem conservation in the Maldives.